Narcissa and Lucius: Their Hogwarts Days
by 1Dnargled
Summary: Narcissa is a mature and lively girl who is pressured to fit in. Lucius is a slightly arrogant but strange boy with no friends. Who would have thought would be friends, or more?
1. Strangers

Narcissa Black studied herself in the mirror. Her new hairstyle startled her. Her wild, strawberry blonde curls were gone. In its place was a mass of straightened, light blonde – almost white – hair.

She gasped in shock. Why, oh why did she choose white? She looked positively disgusting. It wasn't ugly, exactly. It was just….different. Well, either way, she was glad to be rid of those unruly curls that she had always been teased for. All of her friends had neatly combed hair. Now she would fit in.

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It was the first day of Narcissa's last year at Hogwarts. Her mother, Druella, bid her farewell at the train station and walked off, leaving her and her sister Bellatrix standing on the platform. They hurried into the train, as it was almost about to leave. The cabins were already filled, and Narcissa searched for an empty one. She didn't succeed.

Finally, she found one with only one boy seated in it. His hair was the same color as hers, as light as the rays of the moon. He looked familiar. Wasn't he in Slytherin? She hardly ever saw him around.

He jumped slightly at the thump of Bellatrix's luggage on the ground. He rolled his eyes at her. Bellatrix pretended not to notice. His cold grey eyes travelled to Narcissa and stopped. She managed a small smile and sat down opposite from him. He opened his mouth, as if to object, but closed it in an instant.

"Awkwarddddd…" Bellatrix hissed into Narcissa's ear. She pushed her away gently and went back to staring at the strange boy. The way he pretended to ignore them was weird – amusing, even. Finally, Narcissa couldn't stand the silence anymore.

"Um, hello. I'm Narcissa." The boy just stared. After what seemed like forever, he spoke.

"I'm Lucius Malfoy."

Narcissa waited for more, but his mouth remained shut.

"Err, are you in Slytherin?"

Lucius simply nodded his head. He was gazing out the window, as if there was something very interesting out there.

"What's your last name?" he asked her, still staring into space.

"Black."

"Black? Well then, I'm a Malfoy. Looks like we both come from pure-blooded families." He smiled. He actually _smiled._

Why had his attitude suddenly…changed? Was it something she said?

They continued to talk about their families until they had arrived at Hogwarts.

"Well, it was nice meeting you, Lucius."

"Same to you."

They both left the train.

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Narcissa lay sleepless in her bed. The soft snores of her roommates filled the room, echoing off the walls. Her mind went through all the events of her first day – Dumbledore's welcome speech, the yummy food, the classes and professors, but most of all, she couldn't stop thinking about Lucius.

Obviously, his family felt very strongly about pure-blooded families – just like her family. That was why his attitude had changed when she said that her last name was Black. He knew about her family's background – and he approved of it.

She had seen him in the afternoon, right after her Potions class had ended. She was heading towards her Charms class, when she spotted a familiar figure, sitting in a corner. She approached the boy, and as she got closer, she realized it was Lucius.

"Lucius? What are you doing here?"

"Narcissa! Um, I'm doing…..schoolwork." he explained, trying to cover up the paper that he was writing on. Narcissa cocked her head to one side, suspicious.

"Well, aren't you going to be late for your next class?"

"Oh, right….yeah, I should probably be going to class." He got up and walked toward the Charms classroom.

"Oh, you have Charms, too?"

"Yes."

They walked together in silence.

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Two days later, Narcissa was making her way to Charms class again, and she found Lucius sitting on the ground again. Except this time, he didn't appear to be doing anything. Without a word, he got up, greeted her with a nod, and they walked toward the classroom.

"I never see you around much. Where do you and your friends usually hang out?" she questioned.

"Err…my friends?" he mumbled nervously.

"Yes, your friends….don't you have any?"

"Um, yeah, I mean, there's…..err, no, I don't have any – much friends…." He stumbled with his words.

"What? You don't have any friends? None at all?" she couldn't stop herself. Oops, she thought.

"Yeah, I don't, okay? Just leave me alone from now on!" he stalked off into the classroom without another word.

What a strange boy, Narcissa thought once again. He didn't have any friends, but he still acted like a confident and content straight-A student. How could anyone be content without friends? She glanced at him again. He's a good actor, she thought. He was surely very lonely.

She kind of felt sorry for him. It must be hard to hide your feelings all the time. She decided there and then that she would be a friend to the strange boy, whether he liked it or not.


	2. A Tattoo

"Turn to page 412 of your textbook. Stop talking to Peter, Lucius."

It was Charms Class again, and Narcissa was glad to see Luicus making more friends. He seemed to "open up" more than before.

"Ms. Black! Ms. Black?" the professor exclaimed. "Stop daydreaming!"

"Huh? What?"

"What is the name of the charm used to levitate objects?" the professor questioned.

"Umm, err, that, um…well…I – " she didn't know the answer. Oh why didn't she pay attention?

"Its wingardium leviosa!" a voice whispered to her.

"Wingardium Leviosa! That's the answer!" she told the professor.

"Yes, that is correct."

Narcissa smiled. She turned around to see who was her savior. It was Lucius.

"Thanks." She whispered.

"You're welcome." He replied.

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_Many weeks went by, and Narcissa and Lucius had many other such encounters._

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Narcissa couldn't stand it anymore. She hated having to fit in. Her best friend, Naomi, had forgot to invite her to her sleepover. At least, that's what she said. Narcissa knew that Naomi had done it on purpose. Lately, Naomi had been acting differently. She still ate lunch with her, but during classes she mostly sat with the other group of popular girls. As she was lost in her daydream, she barely noticed when someone tapped her on the shoulder.

It was Naomi. How dare she approach her after what she'd done. She'd better be here to apologize, Narcissa thought.

"Um, Narcissa, I've been meaning to ask you something. Why is your hair so….well…how should I put this…pale?" she smirked.

The girls behind her burst into laughter. From what she had just said, Narcissa knew she wasn't here to apologize. She had always been shy and kind Narcissa, but she couldn't take it anymore. Her anger build up in her, and she decided she wouldn't just sit there and listen to them mock her.

"My hair? You're teasing me about _my _hair?" she pretended to smirk. But she was pretty sure she didn't do it right – it sounded more like a dying goose than a smirk. "You and your pet toad really do go very well together. Look, even your hair is the same color as its skin!"

There was no laughter, only gasps of shock. Then, out of the blue, she heard a boy laugh. Lucius. She had learned to recognize his voice awhile ago. Then, a girl from the popular group tried to hold back her laughter, but failed. A few moments passed and pretty soon most of the whole common room was laughing – some people didn't even know what they were laughing for, but they just kept on going. In the end, a professor had to come in to stop them.

Before she went up to bed, a few people came to pat her on the back. She knew why – all of those people had once been afraid of the popular crew, but now they were together, and even Naomi had given up. There was no good or evil anymore.

That night was the first night that she had slept peacefully since she arrived.

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It was a week before Christmas Break., and Narcissa was reading in the courtyard. Unlike her friends, she loved winter. She loved the snow and the freezing cold. It numbed her when she was sad. It made her feel…non-existent, and she liked it. She heard footsteps behind her. She turned around and spotted Lucius' blonde hair behind the pillar. What was he doing here? Curious, she tip-toed around the pillar to peek at what he was doing.

Lucius was sprawled on the cold stone floor of the courtyard, and he was surrounded by piles of textbooks and parchment. In his hand was a quill and he was writing on a piece of fresh parchment. She inched closer to see what he was writing. The only thing she could see on the parchment was: "Dear Father," – It was written in big letters. She was just about to read the rest of the letter when she he picked it up, reread it, and then scrunched it up into a small ball of disappointment and threw it in the opposite direction. She decided that it was time to step in.

"No littering, Mr. Malfoy." She said in a light tone. He looked up at her.

"What are you doing here, Narcissa?" he asked with a hint of impatience.

"No, no. The question is, what are _you _doing here?"

He grunted. "I-err, well, I was doing umm...schoolwork.."

"You know, Lucius, your lying skills haven't improved since I first saw you."

"I know, I know."

"So, what _are _you doing here?"

"I'm writing a letter." Narcissa gave him the _not-good-enough _look. "To my parents."

"Oh. Not very good at it, huh. Or maybe you're a perfectionist. Either way, that _must _be the reason for the littering-of-an-innocent-roll-of-parchment…" she smirked, her voice laced with sarcasm.

"I can't tell you, Narcissa. I wish I could, but I can't." he admitted. His head hung solemnly as he stared at his shoes.

"Oh well. That's too bad. You know I could help you with anything!" she teased in a jokingly tone, trying to lighten the mood – which had gotten very tense indeed.

"Yeah. Anything but this, Cissy." He retorted. He look pretty depressed.

"Wait – what did you just call me?"

"What? Oh, err – that….I didn't say anything…"

Narcissa raised one eyebrow.

"Umm..Cissy. I called you Cissy. Cute, huh? Its my new nickname for you…"he blushed slightly.

She gave him a small smile, amused. "That is SO weird! My sister calls me that, too…"

He remained silent, but the blush didn't disappear. 

"Well, I've gotta go, Lucius. See you around." She walked off in the other direction, back into the warmth of the castle.

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It was nighttime and the castle was quiet. So quiet it was spooky. Narcissa's owl, Duchess, let out little hoots as she stroked its feathers. There she was, once again, sitting on her bed, and deprived of sleep. She looked out into the courtyard. It was covered in snow – white, beautiful, pure snow. She sighed at the beauty of snow without even a trace of footprints on it. She wanted to be the first one to tread on the blankets snow. She put on her thickest coat and favorite boots, and walked out of the room.

The snow _was _as perfect as she thought it would be. In fact, it was even more beautiful up close. As she walked on the snow, she would look back every few steps or so to see her footsteps, etched in the white stuff. She had left her mark there.

"Who goes there?" the voice startled her. She scanned her surroundings to see who it belonged to.

She gasped in realization. "What? Lucius?"

"Oh, its you."

Her eyes travelled down to his arm. There was a tattoo on there. It looked familiar. Before she could realize what it was, he had quickly covered it with his sleeve. She stared at him suspiciously.


	3. How to Hide a Secret

"What's that?" she asked, pointing to his sleeved arm, where the tattoo was on.

"Nothing!" He burst out. She gave him her best _seriously? _look.

"Fine, it's a tattoo." And with that, he scrambled back inside. She sighed.

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"Remember to get your permission slips signed, class!" the professor gave a last-minute reminder. It was the end of class, and everyone was excited to go to Hogsmeade the next day on one of their first class trips outside of Hogwarts. Narcissa had already gotten her permission slip signed. She was SO excited to go! Her parents had even sent her some money for her to go shopping!

Lucius fiddled with the quill in his hands anxiously. Tomorrow he would have to meet his father, while they were on the class trip to Hogsmeade. And he was not at all excited. In fact, he was horrified. Ever since he had officially become a Death Eater (and the youngest one in the group, as he might add), he had felt uneasy around everyone. He still felt guilty – even though he always knew that he would have to be a Death Eater eventually, he still couldn't fully accept the idea of him being an evil and dark wizard – a servant to the Dark Lord. He knew that the Dark Lord approved of him. He was always smiling – well, not exactly _smiling…_everybody knows that the Dark Lord wasn't a smiling sort of person…but he often gave Lucius looks of approval when he suggested something, or performed a spell. This gave Lucius a small spark of confidence in being a dark wizard.

Lucius didn't know what his father wanted from him, but he was sure it wasn't going to be good.

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The sun shone over Narcissa's face. She squinted at the bright sunlight. She was still lying in her bed, and her roommates were still snoring around her. When she remembered what day it was, she sat up so suddenly that she accidentally knocked one of her textbooks off of her bedside table. The sound was enough to wake everyone up. The girls got to work – fixing their hair and putting on their best robes. Besides it being the day for the class trip to Hogsmeade, it was also Valentine's Day, and almost all the girls had a date. Narcissa rarely thought about boys, so she didn't mind going with just one or two friends. Regardless, she felt "inferior" next to the other particularly dressed-up girls, so she took some time to curl her hair slightly – just a little bit, so it wouldn't end up messy and frizzy, like it used to be. She tied half of the hair up into a small ponytail, with a blue ribbon. She had lost her comb, so she had to ransack her whole bed to find it. By the time she found it, she was already late, so she left the room without even bothering to look in the mirror.

Lucius walked with his friends toward the Great Hall, where the students were supposed to be assembled at before they left for their class trip. He was lost in his thoughts, as usual. When he entered the room, he scanned it for a familiar face. He didn't see anyone, but he did see another girl that he hadn't seen before. He was instantly drawn to her big sparkling eyes and rosy cheeks – but when his eyes travelled to her hair, he realized who it was. Narcissa.

"Lucius? Lucius! It's time to go!" his friend tapped him on the shoulder, bringing him back to reality.

Winter brushed against Narcissa's gloves and robes. She shivered and managed to convince her friends to stop at the Three Broomsticks, in order to escape from the freezing cold. The first thing she saw when she stepped in was Lucius and a man talking in a secluded corner. _That must be his father. What is he doing here? _

They were deep in talk, and they seemed suspicious and secretive.

"What can I get for you, ladies?" the young bartender chirped cheerfully.

"Just three Butterbeers, thank you." One of her friends, Alice Fortescue, gave him her best smile. Alice was supposed to be on a date with Frank Longbottom, but he fell sick just the day before, so she had decided to accompany Narcissa and some other friends.

A few minutes later, the drinks arrived, and Narcissa and her friends went on to talk about professors, boys, and schoolwork. In the corner of her eye, Narcissa spotted Lucius' father giving him something. She leaned over to see what it was. Right after her eyes had found a mysterious black pouch, she felt like she was being stared at – or rather, glared at. She looked up. Lucius immediately hid the pouch in his coat pocket.

"Good day, Cissy." He greeted her rather solemnly, and then stalked off in the other direction.

"Did you see that? I mean, how could a boy be so _rude_! He just walked off before you could say anything! What a strange boy! Am I right, Narcissa?" Alice beckoned.

She was about to answer, but it seemed that she had taken too long to ponder the question, because her friends had already moved on to another subject. _Yes…what a strange boy…_, she thought silently to herself.

_Phew, that was close, _Lucius thought in relief. _Narcissa almost saw it….oh, I must never let her know that I'm a Death Eater…I mean, she'll definitely freak out…_

Lucius was lost. His footprints were the only ones in the snow. He turned a few corners, crossed a few deserted streets, and then finally, he found signs of civilization. In the distance, he spotted a crowded joke shop. _Now that's a good place to hide it…nobody will ever know…_He decided to go in.

The joke shop could be described in one word: Colorful. Colors sprang from every wall and shelf, and the products and toys burst with energy. There were wizards and witches EVERYWHERE – some were playing with toys, some were talking with friends, bargaining with the owners, or paying for the products at the counter. He snuck in without anybody noticing him. He wandered around the shop, and pretty soon he found himself in a dark corner. There were only a few innocent children sitting around reading books, or testing out products. Right behind him was a shelf with a dark background of the night sky. _Perfect. _He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the pouch. He tucked it behind a few products, and in front of the dark wallpaper – it blended in almost perfectly. _Well, that would have to do…_

Lucius turned around and walked out of the shop. Now he had some letter-writing to do….and a chance to practice his charms skills.

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_Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock._

It was the End of Year Exams, and Narcissa had stumbled upon a rather difficult question. She tapped her pencil against the wooden desk anxiously, and her heartbeat thumped along. She glanced at her now best friend, Alice, and noticed that she was looking quite nervous too. _I am so failing_, she thought to herself.

About half an hour later, Narcissa had just answered the last question, and was standing up to hand it in. When she was halfway to the teacher's desk, she heard Alice tap on her shoulder. They smiled anxiously at one another and then turned their papers in.

"Oh my god. That was SO hard! I couldn't remember _half _the answers. And what's more is– I studied! I _actually _studied! How could it be that I studied, and still couldn't get half the answers? Did you find it hard, Narcissa?" Alice stopped her chattering briefly.

"Yes, it _was _really difficult. I was so nervous, I almost forgot how to spell my name….." Narcissa laughed along with her.

"You have a nice name, Narcissa. Do you have a nickname? My cousins used to call me Al, but I absolutely _hated _it!"

"Oh, my sister and…well, _some _friends call me Cissy." Her mind was once agin drawn back to the incident with Lucius at Hogsmeade.

"That's actually quite okay…" and with that, they steered into another conversation.

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Lucius paced the length of his room anxiously. He peered out the window every few seconds or so. But still, his owl was not to be seen. He was waiting for a reply from one of the other Death Eaters. _ They must have gotten my letter by now…and Father had said that they would reply me…_ He couldn't stop worrying. _Maybe I got the charm mixed up? Oh no….that would mean that the Ministry of Magic would be able to track it…No, I couldn't have gotten it wrong….I checked it ten times! _

Just then, he heard the familiar screeching of his owl. He sighed with obvious relief. He plucked the small note from the beaks of the bird, and took a deep breath. He opened it up and scanned through the short message.

_Lucius,_

_We have gotten the message informing us of the location. I am very much impressed by your charm skills – the letter was not tracked. And about your hiding skills - you're right – no one would ever find it there. We have set a date for it to happen: January 3__rd__. Until then, refrain from taking any action. And certainly try not to gain more enemies._

_Your father. _

He smiled at the compliments on the page – but then he stopped himself as guilt stabbed him. He sighed. He hated being evil, but since he had no choice, shouldn't he just continue? He didn't know what to do.


	4. Hatred

Bellatrix lay in her bed, embraced by the silent murmurs of her friends gossiping. It was almost midnight, but she couldn't sleep, so she decided to join in the gossip.

"Hey, what are you talking about?" she interrupted them halfway through what seemed like a very interesting conversation.

"About your sister and the Malfoy boy." The girl seemed slightly impatient at her ignorance.

Bellatrix had heard her sister mention the Malfoy boy before…._what was his name? Oh, yes, Lucius._

"What about them?" she asked with genuine curiousity.

"Haven't you heard? Apparently, she said hi to him at the Three Broomsticks, and he threw a Butterbeer at her! So very rude, don't you think?"

Bellatrix burst out laughing. Her roommates stared at her with questioning looks.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh, come on! Do you _seriously _believe that? You gossipers are just too gullible. I've heard the story from my sister herself, and its far less exaggerated than _that_!" Bellatrix explained.

"Really?" they all chorused, and leaned in to hear the truth.

"All he did was greet her rather solemnly, using the nickname that _I _gave her. And then before he could answer he just walked away. I can't believe people are gossiping about such a small thing!" Bellatrix exclaimed.

All the other girls whispered among themselves for awhile more, and then they were all fast asleep.

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Bellatrix was reading a book in the common room. There was no one there – everyone had gone to watch the Quidditch game. Just then, a boy descended the staircase. Lucius.

"Oh, hi there. You're Lucius, right?"

The boy studied her. "Do I know you?"

"Oh, I'm Bellatrix." Judging by the look of utter confusion on his face, she continued. "I'm Narcissa's sister."

"Oh! Now I remember you." His distracted eyes told her that he could still see the memory of their rather unpleasant first meeting.

"What's that?" she pointed at the tattoo.

Lucius scowled. He was tired of all this pretense. He just _had _to tell someone. He studied the innocent-looking young girl in front of him. She seemed like the harmless sort – just a girl wanting to hear a good story. He took a deep breath.

"I'm a Death Eater." He said in a half-jokingly tone.

Bellatrix stared back at him, with her mouth half open. Did she actually take his words as the truth? Just as Lucius thought she was going to freak out and run to tell a teacher, a smile formed on her face. The smile wasn't the happy type of smile – It was more of a smug and well….evil, smile.

"I _knew _it! I knew there was something different – no, evil, about you." Her words were fueled by confidence.

Panic rose in Lucius' chest. "So, what are you waiting for? Aren't you going to run and tell somebody?" he smirked, but failed due to the genuine fear of being discovered.

"No, no, Lucius – you've misunderstood me. You see, I'm like you – evil."

Lucius interrupted her. "I'm not _evil, _you foolish – "

"It's alright, Lucius. You can admit it." Before he could interrupt again, she rushed to continue. "Isn't Cissy pretty, hmm? Her curls – much smoother than mine. Her cheeks – filled with _such _color. Mine? As pale as a full moon. Her eyes – bright and sparkling. And mine? Completely black, and much smaller. And what about her studies, huh? I study like crazy, while she just flips through her textbook, and guess what? She always gets straight A's, while I always get B's. I've endured all this hate for over 10 years now. It has turned me into a bad, bad person. I've been wearing a mask for so long – and now I can finally take it off, because of _you_. I want to let out this hate on other people. Teach me, Lucius. Teach me to be evil."

Lucius almost thought she was kidding. But judging at the seriousness in her eyes, he knew she wasn't. He could see where this was going. She wanted to team up with him. She _wanted _to be a Death Eater.

"I don't know what's wrong with you, but you have gone absolutely _crazy_. Who would _want _to be a Death Eater?" he spit the words out, once again feeling sorry for himself.

"Me – _I _do, Lucius. I want to be a Death Eater. I've been training myself for years – When everyone was learning about helpful charms in Charms Class, I was learning how to perform the curses of torture and pain. I've read the whole series of, "Death Eaters and their Strategies: A Safety Manual" – and that's 38 books, by the way. Don't you think you could suggest me to the Dark Lord?" She stood up straighter, as if she was very proud of her "accomplishments".

"No." he stated sternly. "I will not teach you, and neither will I suggest you to the Dark Lord!"

He made his way out of the room, but scowled when he heard footsteps behind him.

"Oh, will you stop following me?" he almost begged.

"Nope. I won't stop bothering you until you bring me to the Dark Lord."

He tried to ignore her.

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It was the longest day that Lucius had ever lived through in his whole entire life. The whole day was filled with the footsteps and threats of Bellatrix Black. She followed him everywhere – she even waited outside the boys bathroom for him! She stalked him around corners and past the shelves in the library, she threatened him with harsh words, notes, and even a few small curses that Lucius had easily avoided. When the day finally ended, and when Lucius fell straight into the arms of sleep, Bellatrix popped up in his dreams. _Ughh….the dream charm…_

"You better take me to the Dark Lord, Lucius. Or I'll show _this _to the whole school!" she gestured to the blue journal that she was holding up. Lucius' diary.

Lucius' heart skipped a beat. He would be in _so _much trouble if Bellatrix showed that to the whole school….it held his darkest and most embarrassing secrets of all time.

There was only one thing that he could say. "You really _are _evil, Bellatrix Black."

She smirked. "Yes, I am. Thanks for the compliment." She gave him a sarcastic smile, showing her yellow teeth.

_Yep, Narcissa is way prettier, _Lucius confirmed in his head.

"Fine. I'll take you to the Dark Lord."

Bellatrix practically squealed with excitement.

"But I'm NOT going with you." He announced and gave her a magical map of The Dark Lord's whereabouts at any time.

"Suit yourself." She huffed and squealed with excitement again.

He escaped from her view while she was distracted with her newfound treasure.

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_Oh Lord. What have I done? I am such an idiot. Narcissa will practically hate me when she finds out that I'm planning to take her own sister to see the Dark Lord…well, IF she finds out…oh, why did I listen to Bellatrix? I am such an idiotic fo – _

"LUCIUS MALFOY, YOU DISGUST ME!" a girl's voice interrupted his thoughts.

_Shit. _

_Not Narcissa._

"Listen, Cissy, I can explain. That sister of yours begged me and threatened me to bring her to the Dark Lord…I didn't want to let the whole school see my – "

"Wait a second – you're taking my sister to the Dark Lord? WHAT?"

"Huh? Isn't that why you're here? To kill me for doing that?" he was confused.

"Well, I was going to kill you, but not for that…it was because Alice thinks you told Frank to cheat on her…..wait – WHAT?" she repeated her little moment of shock.

"Fine, I'll tell you. Not now, of course. Just don't tell anyone."

She nodded eagerly, but looked unsure. "I promise."

"Meet me at the Quidditch Pitch, right under the hoops - tomorrow, at 7pm. Your sister's in danger. If you really want to help her, remember not to say a word about this to anyone. See you tomorrow, Cissy." He stopped for a brief smile before he darted away.

Narcissa's heart was still beating fast: she didn't know if it was from her sister's mysterious behavior, or the smile Lucius had just given her.


	5. A Friend of the Dark Lord

The Dark Lord sat on his "throne". It was a bronze chair with green cushioned seats and elaborate carvings of snakes (which had been custom-made). It was rusting at the edges, but he personally thought that it made it look more grand. It was around midnight, and his "friends" were sleeping in the guest rooms of his marvelous house. They had arrived a day early for the meeting, which would happen the next day. The Dark Lord smirked as he rehearsed in his mind what he was going to announce. The plan – it was fabulous. Absolutely fabulous.

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"Lucius?" Narcissa's anxious and worried voice gave Lucius yet another stab of guilt.

"I'm here." He whispered.

"Oh, there you are. So, do you have a plan of some sort?"

"Well, kind of."

Her expression urged him to go on.

"There will be a meeting at the Dark Lord's new house. I have to plans. The first is to make her think that we are going there, and that you support her in what she is choosing to do. Then we will lead her somewhere else, tie her up or something of that sort, and then bring her back so Dumbledore can talk some sense into her."

Narcissa nodded at his words. "That sounds good enough. Thanks, Lucius."

"_You_ are thanking _me_? I can't believe it. It's all my fault in the first place."

Narcissa opened her mouth to object, but decided to close it after seeing Lucius' depressed expression. She shot him a sympathetic look, and he looked away as another stab of guilt pierced him.

"So, when do we leave?" Narcissa questioned. It didn't seem like she really wanted to know.

"Tomorrow morning, at 7am. The meeting doesn't start until 10pm." He announced solemnly. "Go tell Bellatrix."

She nodded and disappeared into the trees.

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Dawn cracked the edge of the young sky. The red of the sun stained across the clouds, creating a blend of watercolors. Against this marvelous background, three figures were hiking across the landscape. The first was a girl, with hair twisted into a neat bun at the back of her head. You could tell that they were all about the same age, but this girl seemed years older than the others – she was more mature in some ways. The second figure was a boy, who's hair was short and combed. He treaded across the terrain with his head down. He was fiddling with the hem of his coat nervously. The third figure was a girl. She was the most noticeable, because, unlike the other solemn figures, she was happy. She skipped and pranced and danced and laughed. She sang out loud to absolutely nobody. At first glance you would think she was insane – and maybe she was.

"We are nearing the Dark Lord's house – turn right, not left." Lucius whispered almost silently into Narcissa's left ear.

She nodded, mute from either fear or numbness. They held their breaths as they turned right at the crossroad. The crazy girl behind them didn't seem to notice – she just followed along, skipping all the way. They breathed sighs of relief. They were now further away from their doom. They had been walking for about 3 minutes down that wrong path, when Bellatrix stopped in her tracks.

"What's wrong, Bella?" Narcissa questioned, trying to look concerned.

"I think we've gone the wrong way."

Lucius felt his heartbeat quicken. "Really? How do you know?" he asked, genuinely curious.

"The snake statue. It's not here." She stated, almost in a trance.

Lucius felt his stomach do a flip-flop. _The snake statue. How could I have forgotten? The statue was built by a farmer to warn Muggles about the dangers ahead – the haunted mansion – the Dark Lord's own home._ _Oh, how on Earth does Bellatrix know about this?_

Narcissa and Lucius exchanged looks.

"Oh, Bella, I think you're right! Oh, we're gonna be late! We'd better hurry along." Narcissa didn't think her acting skills were good, but Bellatrix believed her, and immediately made a U-turn, and started running in the opposite direction.

"_Now _what do we do?" Narcissa muttered to Lucius under her breath.

Lucius didn't answer because he didn't have any ideas. "Let me think about it."

He spent lots of time thinking and thinking and thinking. His mind, however, refused to cooperate and remained empty. After masses and boxes of potential-less thoughts, he saw something in the distance. _No, it can't be. So fast?_

It was the house of the Dark Lord.

The roof of the house was an old dark grey, with cracks in certain spots. The windows were worn and a few panels were shattered. The wind was the whisper that would echo off the walls in that dark house, and the grumbling grey sky matched its eeriness. Anyone, whether Muggle or Wizard, could tell that this place wasn't safe.

"We're here! We're here!" Bellatrix squealed.

Narcissa's face went evidently pale, and she stumbled to the ground. Only Lucius noticed, for Bellatrix was already almost to the front door of the house. The last thing that Narcissa saw was her dear little sister's hand turning the doorknob slowly and carefully. Then, the world went black and she lost to her body's exhaustion and shock.

8888888

The panic came slower than expected. There were two things on his mind: how to save Bellatrix, and how to get Narcissa to safety. His body did what it was told. First, he carried Narcissa and made his way to the barn that he had noticed on the way – it was very nearby. He left her there and wrote her a note on what he was about to do:

_Narcissa,_

_Your sister is in grave danger. Right now, it is not about whether or not she will become a Death Eater or not – it is about whether or not she will be allowed to keep her life. Only the Dark Lord has power over that. I will go to the meeting, which commences in about 15 minutes. When you wake up, be sure not to go anywhere. Take care, Narcissa._

_Lucius._

He got up and left. Just like that.

When he was only a few meters away from the front door, he stopped at the sound of his name. He turned around to see Narcissa.

"I saw your note. So there really isn't any way to stop the "being a death eater" part?" she sniffed.

"Yes. Sorry."

"It's fine. Come on, let's go in."

"What? You can't come in, they don't even know you – you might die instead!"

"Oh, yes – I didn't think of that." She searched his face for ideas.

"There _is _one way." And then he explained his plan to her.

8888888

"Ah, Lucius. We weren't expecting you today. Who's that boy behind you?"

"Oh, he's my new servant from school – we had a bet and I won, so he has to follow me anywhere. Don't worry about him, he won't spill anything…"

he finished his words with a threatening smirk.

The Dark Lord laughed heartily. "I'm proud of your – evilness. Come, sit down – both of you."

Narcissa the boy shuffled toward the table behind Lucius, who strode confidently. Their act was pretty convincing – and successful.

"Now, let's begin with my master plan." The Dark Lord announced. "We have recently been out of evil witches and wizards to help us – this results in poor defense _and _offense advantages. So, I have developed a plan to abduct small children, or babies. They should preferably be orphaned, so there wouldn't be much notice about the disappearances. Also – "

Right at that moment, a young girl with frizzy black hair stepped into the room, and Narcissa the boy looked like she was going to faint – again.

"Who is this?"

"I'm Bellatrix, your greatness. That creature of yours refused to let me in, so I had to kill him. My apologies."

"Oh, that's quite okay – I've never really liked him, anyway."

Lucius stared in relief and shock at the same time – they were getting along quite well. At least she wasn't dead yet…

"And why are you here, Bellatrix?"

"I want to be a Death Eater."

The room was suddenly filled with gasps and murmurs of disbelief.

"Is that so?" the Dark Lord questioned, evidently amused.

"Yes, My Lord. I have studied everything possible to be studied about you and Death Eaters. I have also – "

"You are now a Trainee Death Eater, Bellatrix. We _were _just talking about how to recruit new wizards and witches for our team. Since you're so keen on proving yourself, why don't _you _perform the task yourself."

The Dark Lord ignored all the whispered objections and carried on. "I will announce now that all of the wizards sitting at this table will help this young witch - _if_ she needs it._" _He finished his little speech and sat down.

"Oh yes, Lucius. The _thing _will take place in exactly a week, at midnight." He hinted almost casually. Narcissa the boy eyed Lucius suspiciously.

Lucius nodded. "Yes, my lord. I will be ready."

The Dark Lord nodded, too, in approval.

The meeting was over, and Bellatrix's life had been saved. But the nightmare had just begun.


End file.
